Triassic lungfish from Gondwana

Mesozoic Fishes – Systematics and Paleoecology, G. Arratia & G. Viohl (eds.): pp. 409-416, 3 figs.
© 1996 by Verlag Dr. Friedrich Pfeil, München, Germany – ISBN 3-923871–90–2
Triassic lungfish from Gondwana
Anne KEMP
Abstract
Analysis of the reptilian and amphibian faunas of a number of Triassic localities in Africa, Antarctica, and Australia demonstrates that the fauna of these deposits in Australia differs from faunas found in Antarctica and
Africa. A number of fish species, including lungfish, also occur in these localities. One of the lungfish species in
the Lower Triassic deposits of Australia is also present in the Lower Triassic Cynognatus zone near Bergersdorp,
Orange Free State, South Africa. Aquatic faunas of the Early Triassic of Australia might have been more similar
to those of other Gondwanan deposits than are the terrestrial or amphibious faunas. This lungfish, previously
referred to Ceratodus cf. C. philippsi, belongs in the genus Ptychoceratodus, described from extensive material from
the Lower Keuper of Kupferzell in Germany. This record extends the geographic range of Ptychoceratodus to the
Southern Hemisphere, and its geological range from the Middle to the Early Triassic.
Ptychoceratodus philippsi is based on well preserved skull bones, jaws and associated tooth plates from Africa
and tooth plates with some skull bones from Queensland as well as poorly preserved tooth plates from Western
Australia, and Tasmania. P. philippsi shares with P. serratus thick heavy skull bones, short strong jaws, and high
crowned grinding tooth plates. P. philippsi differs from P. serratus in characters of the skull and in details of tooth
plate shape. P. philippsi was also considerably smaller than the massive P. serratus, and reached a maximum of
only 60 cm in length.
Introduction
Early Triassic localities from Gondwana have produced isolated dipnoan tooth plates, usually with a
fragment of jaw bone attached, but no skull bones or post cranial material. Recent collections of new
material from Australia and South Africa have included calvarial bones associated with the commonest of
these dipnoan tooth plates, previously referred to Ceratodus cf. C. philippsi (KEMP 1982, 1991a). Examination of these two specimens, one from the Early Triassic of the Crater, near Rolleston in Queensland and
one from the Cynognatus zone near Bergersdorp, in the Orange Free State, has solved several taxonomic
riddles. The Queensland tooth plate specimens were included with a small juvenile skull of definite gnathorhizid affinities, but no associated tooth plates (KEMP 1991a). The tooth plates are here described as
Ptychoceratodus philippsi and the gnathorhizid skull is regarded as a separate species.
The material has permitted reconstruction of a dipnoan with links to the European genus Ptychoceratodus (SCHULTZE 1981). These skull and jaw bones with tooth plates resemble those of Ptychoceratodus
serratus (SCHULTZE 1981). The specimens confirm that skull bones and tooth plates are both consistent
indicators of taxonomic status in dipnoans, and extend the geographic range of Ptychoceratodus to the
Southern Hemisphere. The Australian and South African deposits are also older than the European as they
are just above the Permo-Triassic boundary (THULBORN 1986).
Isolated tooth plates from other Queensland localities, from Tasmania and from Western Australia are
also attributed to Ptychoceratodus philippsi. These tooth plates match the tooth plates associated with both
the Queensland and the South African skull bones.
Specimen designations
AM, Australian Museum, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. QM, Queensland Museum, Brisbane,
Queensland, Australia. SMNS, Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde, Stuttgart, Germany. UTGD, Univer409
The whole contribution can be
purchased as PDF file.
Availability
Generally all our publications are available as PDF files;
full publications as a general rule after the printed version
is out of print. If you have questions concerning particular contributions please contact us by e-mail:
[email protected].
The PDF files are protected by copyright.
The PDF file may be printed for personal use.
The reproduction and dissemination of the content or
part of it is permitted.
It is not allowed to transfer the digital personal certificate
or the password to other persons.
Dieser Beitrag kann als
PDF-Datei erworben werden.
Verfügbarkeit von PDF-Dateien
Prinzipiell sind von allen unseren Publikationen PDFDateien erhältlich. Komplette Publikationen in der Regel
erst nachdem die gedruckte Version vergriffen ist. Anfragen bezüglich bestimmter Beiträge richten Sie bitte
per E-Mail an [email protected].
Die PDF-Dateien sind urheberrechtlich geschützt.
Ein Ausdruck der PDF-Dateien ist nur für den persönlichen Gebrauch erlaubt.
Die Vervielfältigung von Ausdrucken, erneutes Digitalisieren sowie die Weitergabe von Texten und Abbildungen
sind nicht gestattet.
Das persönliche Zertifikat und das Passwort dürfen nicht
an Dritte weitergegeben werden.
Prices
Books: Prices are to be found in the catalog.
Articles in journals and single contributions or chapters
in books:
10 EURO basic price per order (including the first 10
pages),
and
0.50 EURO per page, beginning with the 11th page.
Page numbers are found in the contents of the publications.
Orders
Use our order form for PDF files or send your order informal per e-mail ([email protected]). The only accepted payment is by credit card. While using the order
form for PDF files, your data will be transmitted by secure
link (ssl). You also may send the informations informally
by e-mail, fax, phone or mail.
Handling
As soon as possible, depending on our business hours
and your order, you will receive your PDF file together
with the certificate and password by e-mail.
Larger PDF files can be downloaded from our webspace,
if necessary.
Your invoice will be sent out by e-mail after we charged
your credit card.
To open the encrypted PDF files you have to install your
personal certificate after your first order. All PDF files
with the same certificate can be opened from that time
on.
Preise
Bücher: Die Preise sind dem Katalog zu entnehmen.
Zeitschriftenbeiträge und einzelne Kapitel aus Sammelbänden bzw. Büchern:
10 EURO Grundbetrag pro Bestellung (einschließlich
der ersten 10 Seiten),
und
0,50 EURO pro Seite ab der 11. Seite.
Den Umfang der Beiträge entnehmen Sie bitte den Inhaltsverzeichnissen.
Bestellungen
Bestellungen sind mit dem PDF-Bestellformular oder
formlos per E-Mail ([email protected]) an uns zu
richten. Die Bezahlung ist ausschließlich per Kreditkarte möglich. Bei Verwendung unseres Bestellformulars
werden die Kreditkartendaten über eine gesicherte
Verbindung (ssl) übermittelt. Sie können die Daten aber
auch formlos per E-Mail, Fax, Post oder telefonisch
übermitteln.
Abwicklung
So bald wie möglich, aber abhängig von unseren Bürozeiten und der gewünschten Bestellung, schicken wir
Ihnen die PDF-Datei(en) zusammen mit Ihrem persönlichen Zertifikat und dem zugehörigem Passwort per
E-Mail. Größere Dateien bieten wir Ihnen gegebenenfalls
zum Herunterladen an.
Der fällige Betrag wird von Ihrer Kreditkarte abgebucht
und Sie erhalten die Rechnung ebenfalls per E-Mail.
Um die verschlüsselten PDF-Dateien öffnen zu können,
muss bei der ersten Bestellung das passwortgeschützte persönliches Zertifikat installiert werden, welches
anschließend auf dem Rechner verbleibt. Alle mit diesem
Zertifikat verschlüsselten Dateien können anschließend
auf diesem Rechner geöffnet werden.